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By Brian Hagen

04/02/2019

(KAIR)--It remains unknown how long U.S. Highway 59, east of Atchison, in Buchanan County, Missouri will remain closed.

That word comes in a release issued by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The stretch of highway, east of Atchison to the Missouri Route 273 intersection, was closed last month due to the flooding of the Missouri River.

MoDot, in the release, said flood waters remain over the route in at least three places.

In the areas where the water has receded, there has been no roadway damage, just debris and shoulder erosion.

MoDot said crews will not know if the entire roadway is undamaged until the waters fully recede.

A social media post by Atchison County Emergency Management Tuesday afternoon said “hopefully [the highway] will be open in the next week.”

Although local traffic is able to cross the Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge from Atchison into Buchanan County, travel is limited due to the closure.

That means motorists seeking to travel further into Missouri, or those wanting to come to Atchison, must continue to seek alternate routes.

Atchison officials say the closure discourages tourism to Atchison which negatively impacts the Atchison economy.

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